For more than two decades, the Brahmaputra River has been the lifeblood of Mymensingh. The river that made waves after waves is now silent. There are dead canal somewhere. Experts have come to think about the turbulent state of the turbulent river. But all the plans flew in the sky like a fairy of imagination, did not even show the desire to touch the ground.
However, due to the will of the Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina, neglect of the River has end. The river caught her eye.
And now the oldest Mymensingh is changing around this river. After the
declaration of Mymensingh as a division on 13 October 2015, various master
plans were taken around the Brahmaputra River. The initiative was taken at the
divisional headquarters on the other side of the river. When the municipality
was transformed into a city corporation in October 2018, some new wards of the Char
area were also included.
Today's Mymensingh is being built along the banks of the Brahmaputra, which runs through the heart of the city. An extended part of the city will be built on the other side. The people of Mymensingh will see a beautiful new city with latest facilities. The combination of old and new will unite this Mymensingh city with three bridges.
In a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in last year approved the construction of a bridge at a cost of about Tk 3,500 crore, which will be built in the Kewatkhali area of the city. The 1,100-meter arched four-lane bridge will be modeled on Australia's Sydney Harbor Bridge, the first in the country's history. When the construction of the bridge is completed in June 2025, the communication facilities of Mymensingh with Netrokona, Sherpur and Kishoreganj districts will increase. Besides, trade between Nakugaon and Haluaghat land ports with the capital Dhaka will increase. There are also plans to build two more bridges through Ghagdahar and Kacharighat-adjacent Zero Point areas.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Public Administration has given administrative approval to set up the much awaited divisional headquarters on 945.219 acres of land on the other side of the river. The Divisional Land Commissioner hoped that the DPP and TAPP of the headquarters would be finalized and sent to the project ministry in the shortest possible time.
The Divisional Commissioner said that
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed for proper compensation and dignified
rehabilitation of the people of the acquired area. The present government has
issued a notification to triple the value of the acquired land. So the victims
will get a lot of land. 25 acres of land has been set aside for the affected
people in the acquired area. They will be rehabilitated there. The rehabilitation
process will start first.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had given various instructions in a meeting at her office on September 17, 2016 to set up the Mymensingh divisional headquarters. Mymensingh is the twelfth city corporation of the country. From 21.73 sq km, the city is now 90.17 sq km. In 2020, the ECNEC was sanctioned Tk 1,575 crore to make this city a modern city. The newly expanded 68.44 sq km area has not seen any development. The City Corporation is spending the money on overall development including road development, expansion of drainage system, over bridges, footpaths etc.
With a population of over eight lakhs,
this city is slowly being transformed into the smart city, which is now very
much visible. Gauripur and Ishwarganj upazilas situated on the other side of
the Brahmaputra River. The district administration has proposed to make an
economic zone within Mymensingh city and those two upazilas. This was stated by
Aminul Haque Shamim, President, Mymensingh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He
said there are plans to set up economic zones on 500 acres of land. If it is
implemented, timely decision will be taken.
Mentioning the reason for this, he said that excavation work has been started to restore the navigability of the river. 30 percent of the work has been completed. With the return of full navigability, the communication of goods in the designated economic zone with the port will be easier as well as financially viable. Employment will be directly to two lakh people.
However, towards the end of 2011, there was a touch of development in Mymensingh. The four-lane road from Joydebpur crossroads in Gazipur to Mymensingh in an 88 km stretch changed the landscape of Mymensingh. The highway is about 63 feet wide. The width is even greater next to markets and business centers. The road was officially inaugurated in July 2016 at a cost of BDT 1,800 crore. And with the help of such communication system, Bhaluka and Trishal are now upazilas of heavy industrial area.
Soon the Mymensingh will be one of the most beautiful cities in the country.
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